Held may refer to:

People[link]

• Al Held (1928–2005), U.S. abstract expressionist painter.
• Anna Held (1873–1918), Polish stage performer
• Bud Held (born 1927), U.S. athlete who competed primarily in the javelin.
• Candice Held (born 1973), Los Angeles based women's clothing designer
• Carl Held (born 1931), U.S. actor.
• Cornelis den Held (1883–1962), Dutch athlete who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London
• Dan Held (born 1961), Canadian former professional ice hockey centre
• David Held (born 1951), British political theorist
• Franz Held (born 1948), German rower who competed for West Germany in the 1968 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics
• Heinrich Held (1868–1938), Minister-President of Bavaria
• Henk-Jan Held (born 1967), Dutch volleyball player
• Isaac Held, American meteorologist
• John Held, Jr. (1889–1958), U.S. illustrator.
• Kurt Held (1897–1959), Jewish Communist and writer displaced from Germany during the Second World War
• Louis Held (1851–1927), German photojournalist
• Madeline Held, a British academic
• Marcin Held (born 1992), Polish mixed martial artist
• Martin Held (1908–1992), German television and film actor
• Mel Held (born 1929), retired American professional baseball player
• Oliver Held (born 1972), German football player
• Paul Held (born 1928), former quarterback in the National Football League
• S. S. Held, a French science fiction and fantasy author
• Sigfried Held (born 1942), German football player
• Woodie Held (1932–2009), Major league baseball player
• Zeus B. Held (born 1950), German music producer and musician

This page or section lists people with the surname Held. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.

Other[link]

• Ein wahrer Held, Op. 69, is an opera in three acts by Giselher Klebe
• "Held" (song), a 1998 song by Smog
• Held einer Nacht, a Czech-German comedy film directed by Martin Frič
• Held Glacier
• The Held group, a sporadic simple group found by Dieter Held
• Held Hostage, a Lifetime Movie starring Julie Benz that aired on July 19, 2009

See also[link]

• Held for Ransom (disambiguation)
• Held up (disambiguation)
• John Held (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Natalie Grant
Background information
Born	(1971-12-21) December 21, 1971 (age 40) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Genres	Contemporary Christian
Occupations	Singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Curb
Website	http://www.nataliegrant.com/

Natalie Grant (born December 21, 1971 in Seattle, Washington) is a singer-songwriter of contemporary Christian music. She has received the Gospel Music Association's Dove Award for Female Vocalist of the Year four consecutive years (2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009), and again in 2012.^[1] Her signature song is Held.

Career[link]

Grant toured with award winning, multi-platinum selling Billboard magazine's Artist of The Decade MercyMe in April 2011.

She recently toured on the Speaking Louder Than Before tour with Bebo Norman and Jeremy Camp.^[2] She also contributed the song "Breathe On Me" to Crystal Aikin's self-titled debut album.

Grant's eighth album, Love Revolution, was released on August 24, 2010.^[3]

She was a speaker and performer on the Revolve Tour, a conference for teen girls from Women of Faith.

Personal life[link]

In an interview with The 700 Club, Natalie revealed that she suffered from bulimia.^[4] She says God helped her get over her eating disorder. She later wrote a book titled The Real Me: Being the Girl God Sees, about her struggle and how she overcame it.

Grant lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her Canadian producer husband, Bernie Herms, and their three daughters, which includes a set of fraternal twin girls Grace Ana and Isabella Noelle (born February 16, 2007).^[5] On December 17, 2010, Grant gave birth to their third child, Sadie Rose.

She has a passion to see an end to human trafficking. She was affected by an episode of Law & Order that dealt with the topic and began researching. Her studies led her and her husband to travel to India to witness the red-light districts and what is being done to stop them. That experience, coming in the middle of a restless, stressed-out season for her, completely changed the trajectory of Natalie's life, awakening her out of complacency and passivity and into a life driven by compassion and passion. And it has forever changed the way she approaches her music.^[6]

After realizing the need for quality aftercare for victims, in 2005 Natalie founded The Home Foundation. The Home Foundation has since evolved into Abolition International, an international leader in the fight to eradicate sex trafficking through aftercare accreditation, advocacy and education initiatives, and dedication to opening restoration homes for those already victimized by sex trafficking.^[7]

Discography[link]

• 1999: Natalie Grant
• 2001: Stronger
• 2003: Deeper Life
• 2005: Awaken
• 2005: Believe
• 2008: Relentless
• 2010: Love Revolution

Bibliography[link]

• The Real Me: Being the Girl God Sees ISBN 0-8499-0882-5

Awards and nominations[link]

GMA Dove Awards[link]

Grammy Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Web site
• Natalie's videos on YouTube
• Natalie's videos on GodTube

Marcin Held (born January 18, 1992) is a Polish mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Held has competed frequently in his home country of Poland and is highly touted by the media. In his home country, he is regarded as "the prodigy of Polish MMA".^[1]

Mixed martial arts career[link]

Background[link]

Held is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is expected by many members of the media to become the youngest black belt in Poland's history.^[1] Held is well known for winning multiple Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and grappling competitions in his home country. Though he fights at lightweight, he has expressed a desire to compete at featherweight, should the right fight become available.^[1]

He is currently ranked as #1 Polish Lightweight Mixed Martial Artist by mmarocks.pl ^[2]

Career in Poland[link]

Held began his professional mixed martial arts career and compiled a 3–0 record before joining Shooto. His debut fight for the organisation was at Shooto Poland, where he headlined and defeated Rafal Lasota via TKO (leg injury). Just prior to the Shooto fight, Held was named as one of the top 10 unsigned prospects to watch for 2009.^[1]

In December 2009, Held competed in an 8-man tournament, defeating all three opponents; the latter two by submission. Following this, Held defeated Przemyslaw Zbiciak via submission (rear naked choke) midway through the first round.^[3]

Held's first professional loss came at the hands of Lukasz Sajewski, a fellow highly-rated prospect from Poland. Sajewski was able to neutralise the submission game of Held, before gaining top position and riding out a unanimous decision victory.^[4]

Held rebounded to defeat the former Cage Rage lightweight champion Jean Silva. Held weakened his opponent with leg locks, before landing a knee from the clinch. Held won the fight via TKO caused by a knee injury.^[5]

Held was scheduled to participate in the inaugural event of a new Polish promotion - Infinite Fighting Federation - in October in Dąbrowa Górnicza, against German fighter Franco de Leonardis. However, due to an accident involving de Leonardis,^[6] he faced Bojan Kosednar.^[7] Marcin won the fight with a kneebar submission in the second round.

According to mmarocks, Held has also signed a contract to compete against Juha-Pekka Vainikainen in November at Iron Fist 3.^[8] However, for unknown reasons, Held was forced to pull out of the fight and was replaced by Anthony Durnell.

Bellator Fighting Championships[link]

On October 14, Held signed with Bellator Fighting Championships to compete in their fourth season lightweight tournament.^[9] He faced wrestler Michael Chandler in the opening quarterfinal round at Bellator 36. He lost via arm triangle choke submission in the first round.

Held faced Phillipe Nover at Bellator 59. He won the fight via split decision.

Mixed martial arts record[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Professional MMA record for Marcin Held from Sherdog

Richard Thomas Clementi (born March 31, 1976) is an American mixed martial artist.

Mixed martial arts career[link]

Clementi began his professional career in 1999 and amassed a 12–6 record before making his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut at UFC 41, where he lost by submission to Yves Edwards. Clementi continued to fight in smaller promotions before appearing as a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 4 reality show, which focused on promising fighters that had not succeeded in their UFC careers. Though the namesake of "Team No Love", Clementi lost his preliminary bout against Shonie Carter by unanimous decision. He appeared on the undercard of the season finale as a lightweight, but lost by rear naked choke submission to Din Thomas.

Despite his losses, Clementi continued to appear in the UFC. He secured his first victory in the promotion via rear naked choke submission against Ross Pointon at UFC Fight Night 8, although the fight was not aired during the broadcast. After losing to Roan Carneiro at UFC Fight Night 9, Clementi alternated between appearing in the UFC and smaller promotions. He took a fight with Anthony Johnson at UFC 76 on two weeks' notice and won by rear naked choke submission. With the win, Clementi improved his official UFC record to 2–3.

Clementi followed up with a win at UFC 79 against Melvin Guillard. Guillard tapped from a rear naked choke. Prior to the match, Clementi and Guillard engaged in a war of words.

In the span of a month, Clementi racked up two more victories against Sam Stout and Terry Etim at UFC 83 and UFC 84 respectively. By this time, Clementi was riding a four-win streak in the UFC and a six-win streak in his career. The streak ended at UFC 90, where he lost to Gray Maynard by unanimous decision. Clementi followed up with an appearance at UFC Fight Night: Lauzon vs. Stephens, where he lost to Gleison Tibau by guillotine choke. With his second consecutive loss in the UFC, Clementi was cut from the promotion's roster.^[1]

On June 27, 2009, Clementi was in the main event for the first ever MMA fight in Pennsylvania. The promotion company UCFC held its "Rumble on the Rivers" event in Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena. Clementi was unable to continue the fight after only 40 seconds into the first round because of a broken collar bone after a take down and the ringside doctor stopped the fight.

On November 29, 2009, Clementi headlined the event "Cage Wars: Nightmare" in Belfast, Northern Ireland and fought local prospect Chris Stringer, defeating him by triangle choke in the second round, after dominating the fight.^[2] Clementi followed that win by headlining the Team 3:16 – Season's Beatings Event in Shreveport, Louisiana, defeating Derrick Krantz in the first round via armbar.

He recently fought on January 16 at the 5150 Fight League's "The New Year's Revolution" show against WEC Vet Mike Budnik where he won by rear naked choke improving his record upon being cut from the UFC to 4–1. The bout was for 5150 Fight League's Lightweight Title.

Rich next appeared at KOTC Vengeance. He lost by TKO in the second round. Rich later confirmed that he was suffering from altitude sickness during the fight on which he blames his loss. Clementi was signed by Bellator and made his debut at Bellator 28 against Carey Vanier. He lost by split decision.

Clementi faced Reza Madadi at Superior Challenge 7 in Sweden, April 30.^[3] He lost the fight via unanimous decision, which he later commented on as being biased because of Sweden being Reza Madadi's hometurf.^[4]

Clementi faced Chris Clements at Score Fighting Series 3.^[5] He lost the fight via TKO in the third round.

Personal life[link]

Clementi spent eight years in the military with the Navy Seabees and was mobilized as a reservist after 9/11. He also runs "Rich Clementi's Gladiator Gym" in his hometown of Slidell, Louisiana.^[6] Clementi is divorced from his first wife and has a son with his second wife.

Filmography[link]

• 2012 — Dragon Eyes

Mixed martial arts record[link]

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Win	43–21–1	Derek Campos	Submission (guillotine choke)	Bellator 70	02012-05-25May 25, 2012	1	4:18	New Orleans, Louisiana, United States	157 lb Catchweight
Loss	42–21–1	Chris Clements	TKO (punches)	Score Fighting Series 3	02011-12-03December 3, 2011	3	3:17	Sarnia, Ontario, Canada	Fought at Welterweight
Win	42–20–1	Ronnie Rogers	Submission (rear naked choke)	Victory Promotions	02011-11-12November 12, 2011	2	N/A	Lowell, Massachusetts, United States
Loss	41–20–1	Shinya Aoki	Submission (neck crank)	DREAM. Fight for Japan!	02011-05-29May 29, 2011	2	2:32	Saitama, Saitama, Japan
Loss	41–19–1	Reza Madadi	Decision (unanimous)	Superior Challenge 7	02011-04-30April 30, 2011	3	5:00	Stockholm, Sweden	For Superior Challenge Lightweight Championship
Win	41–18–1	Josh Hinkle	Decision (unanimous)	Rogue Warrior Championship	02011-04-08April 8, 2011	3	5:00	El Paso, Texas, United States
Loss	40–18–1	Aaron Derrow	Technical Submission (triangle choke)	Titan FC 16: Sylvia vs. Wagner	02011-01-28January 28, 2011	3	3:35	Kansas City, Kansas, United States	165 lb. Catchweight bout
Win	40–17–1	Felipe Enomoto	Submission (armbar)	Cage Wars: Validation	02010-12-10December 10, 2010	3	4:25	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Loss	39–17–1	Carey Vanier	Decision (split)	Bellator 28	02010-09-09September 9, 2010	3	5:00	New Orleans, Louisiana, United States	Qualifier for Bellator Lightweight tourney
Win	39–16–1	Lenny Nelson	Submission (rear naked choke)	Steel Fist Entertainment - Hostile Validation	02010-07-31July 31, 2010	1	3:32	Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Win	38–16–1	Glen Cordoza	Submission (armbar)	Cajun Fighting Championships - Full Force	02010-06-25June 25, 2010	2	2:21	Lafayette, Louisiana, United States
Loss	37–16–1	Quinn Mulhern	TKO (punches)	KOTC Vengeance	02010-02-12February 12, 2010	2	3:09	Mescalero, New Mexico, United States	Fought at Welterweight
Win	37–15–1	Mike Budnik	Submission (rear naked choke)	5150 Combat League / Xtreme Fighting League – New Year's Revolution	02010-01-16January 16, 2010	5	2:10	Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States	Won the 5150 Combat League Lightweight Title
Win	36–15–1	Derrick Krantz	Submission (armbar)	Team 3:16 MMA: Season's Beatings	02009-12-12December 12, 2009	1	4:54	Shreveport, Louisiana, United States
Win	35–15–1	Chris Stringer	Submission (triangle choke)	CWC: Nightmare	02009-11-29November 29, 2009	2	3:11	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Loss	34–15–1	Kyle Jensen	TKO (broken clavicle)	UCFC Rumble on the Rivers	02009-06-27June 27, 2009	1	0:40	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States	Fought at Welterweight
Win	34–14–1	Omar Zapata	Submission (arm-triangle choke)	Adrenaline MMA 3: Bragging Rights	02009-06-13June 13, 2009	1	4:16	Birmingham, Alabama, United States	Fought at Welterweight
Loss	33–14–1	Gleison Tibau	Submission (guillotine choke)	UFC Fight Night: Lauzon vs. Stephens	02009-02-07February 7, 2009	1	4:35	Tampa, Florida, United States
Loss	33–13–1	Gray Maynard	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 90	02008-10-25October 25, 2008	3	5:00	Rosemont, Illinois, United States
Win	33–12–1	Terry Etim	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 84	02008-05-24May 24, 2008	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	32–12–1	Sam Stout	Decision (split)	UFC 83	02008-04-19April 19, 2008	3	5:00	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win	31–12–1	Melvin Guillard	Submission (rear naked choke)	UFC 79	02007-12-29December 29, 2007	1	4:40	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	30–12–1	Antoine Skinner	Submission (punches)	NLE - Punishment at the PMAC	02007-10-13October 13, 2007	1	1:46	Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States	Back to 155 lbs
Win	29–12–1	Anthony Johnson	Submission (rear naked choke)	UFC 76	02007-09-22September 22, 2007	2	3:05	Anaheim, California, United States
Win	28–12–1	Kyle Gibbons	Submission (rear naked choke)	IFO – Wiuff vs. Salmon	02007-09-01September 1, 2007	1	2:18	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	27–12–1	Roan Carneiro	Decision (unanimous)	UFC Fight Night 9	02007-04-05April 5, 2007	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	27–11–1	Ross Pointon	Submission (rear naked choke)	UFC Fight Night 8	02007-01-25January 25, 2007	2	4:53	Hollywood, Florida, United States	Returns to 170 lbs
Loss	26–11–1	Din Thomas	Submission (rear naked choke)	The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale	02006-11-11November 11, 2006	2	3:11	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	26–10–1	Caol Uno	Decision (unanimous)	Hero's 4	02006-03-15March 15, 2006	2	5:00	Tokyo, Japan
Win	26–9–1	Brian Dunn	TKO (punches)	BATB – Battle at the Boardwalk	02006-02-17February 17, 2006	1	4:48	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	25–9–1	Fabio Holanda	TKO (punches)	TKO 24 – Eruption	02006-01-28January 28, 2006	3	4:20	Quebec, Canada
Win	24–9–1	Ryan Schultz	Submission (armbar)	AFC 14 – Absolute Fighting Championships 14	02005-12-10December 10, 2005	1	3:39	Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Win	23–9–1	Chris Mickle	TKO (punches)	EC 64 – Extreme Challenge 64	02005-10-15October 15, 2005	1	2:51	Osceola, Iowa, United States
Win	22–9–1	Daisuke Hanazawa	Decision (unanimous)	Euphoria – USA vs World	02005-02-26February 26, 2005	3	5:00	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	21–9–1	Henry Matamoros	Decision (unanimous)	Euphoria – Road to the Titles	02004-10-15October 15, 2004	3	5:00	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	20–9–1	Tom Kirk	Submission (rear naked choke)	RCF – Showdown	02004-07-17July 17, 2004	1	N/A	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States
Win	19–9–1	Eddie Yagin	TKO (doctor stoppage)	PXC 2 – Chaos	02004-05-22May 22, 2004	3	N/A	Mangilao, Guam
Win	18–9–1	Sergey Golyaev	Submission (triangle choke)	Euphoria – Russia vs USA	02004-03-13March 13, 2004	2	3:43	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Loss	17–9–1	David Gardner	Decision (unanimous)	FFC 8 – Freestyle Fighting Championships 8	02004-03-05March 5, 2004	3	5:00	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States
Loss	17–8–1	Marcus Aurélio	Submission (eye injury)	ZST – Grand Prix Final Round	02004-01-11January 11, 2004	1	0:40	Tokyo, Japan
Win	17–7–1	Tomomi Iwama	Decision (unanimous)	ZST – Grand Prix Final Round	02004-01-11January 11, 2004	2	5:00	Tokyo, Japan
Win	16–7–1	Naoyuki Kotani	Decision (unanimous)	ZST – Grand Prix Final Round	02004-01-11January 11, 2004	2	5:00	Tokyo, Japan
Win	15–7–1	Aloisio Barros	Decision (unanimous)	ZST – Grand Prix Opening Round	02003-11-23November 23, 2003	2	5:00	Tokyo, Japan
vDraw	14–7–1	Hiroki Kotani	Draw	ZST 4 – The Battle Field 4	02003-09-07September 7, 2003	3	5:00	Tokyo, Japan
Win	14–7	Jon Weidler	KO (knee)	FFC 6 – No Love	02003-07-11July 11, 2003	1	0:35	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States
Loss	13–7	Yves Edwards	Submission (rear naked choke)	UFC 41	02003-02-28February 28, 2003	3	4:07	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	13–6	James Meals	TKO (punches)	TNF – Tuesday Night Fights	02002-12-17December 17, 2002	1	1:55	Davenport, Iowa, United States
Win	12–6	Isaias Martinez	TKO (broken nose)	RFC 1 – The Beginning	02002-07-13July 13, 2002	1	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	11–6	Joe Jordan	Submission (armbar)	FFC 2 – Freestyle Fighting Championships 2	02002-05-04May 4, 2002	1	2:05	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States
Win	10–6	Justin James	Submission (rear naked choke)	RnR – Rock 'N' Rumble 1	02001-12-29December 29, 2001	2	1:20	United States
Win	9–6	Cedric Stewart	Submission (rear naked choke)	EC 44 – Extreme Challenge 44	02001-09-15September 15, 2001	1	2:23	Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States
Win	8–6	Warren Donley	KO (punches)	RCF 11 – Reality Combat Fighting 11	02001-05-10May 10, 2001	2	0:30	United States
Win	7–6	Danny Payne	Submission (neck crank)	RCF 10 – Reality Combat Fighting 10	02001-03-31March 31, 2001	1	1:37	Houma, Louisiana, United States	Drops to 155 lbs
Win	6–6	Edwin Allseitz	Submission (kimura)	DFC – Submission Grappling Championships	02001-03-17March 17, 2001	1	3:36	Houston, Texas, United States
Win	5–6	Jeremy Jiminez	Submission (armbar)	DFC – Submission Grappling Championships	02001-03-17March 17, 2001	1	2:15	Houston, Texas, United States
Loss	4–6	Pete Spratt	TKO (doctor stoppage)	RCF 9 – Reality Combat Fighting 9	02001-01-27January 27, 2001	1	N/A	Houma, Louisiana, United States
Win	4–5	Charles Bennett	Submission (punches)	WEF - World Extreme Fighting: Rumble at the Rodeo 1	02000-12-16December 16, 2000	1	N/A	United States
Loss	3–5	Steve Berger	Submission (armbar)	Dangerzone – Insane In Ft. Wayne	02000-11-25November 25, 2000	1	3:14	Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States
Loss	3–4	Rick McCoy	Decision	Dangerzone – Night of the Beast	02000-10-28October 28, 2000	2	15:00	Lynchburg, Virginia, United States
Loss	3–3	Ben Earwood	Submission (armbar)	EC 36 – Extreme Challenge 36	02000-08-26August 26, 2000	1	8:32	Davenport, Iowa, United States
Win	3–2	Dymitrius Wilson	TKO (punches)	WVF – Cage Brawl	02000-08-19August 19, 2000	1	4:40	Chalmette, Louisiana, United States
Win	2–2	Aristides Britto	Submission (punches)	RCF 6 – Reality Combat Fighting 6	02000-06-24June 24, 2000	1	2:19	Thibodaux, Louisiana, United States	Fights at 170 lbs
Win	1–2	Scott Melia	Submission (punches)	RCF 6 – Reality Combat Fighting 6	02000-06-24June 24, 2000	1	1:28	Thibodaux, Louisiana, United States
Loss	0–2	Rick Thompson	Decision	RCF 3 – Return of the Rage	02000-01-28January 28, 2000	1	18:00	Metairie, Louisiana, United States
Loss	0–1	Chris Seifert	Decision (unanimous)	WEF 7 – Stomp in the Swamp	01999-10-09October 9, 1999	3	2:00	Kenner, Louisiana, United States

References[link]

External links[link]

• Professional MMA record for Rich Clementi from Sherdog
• UFC profile
• Interview by CriticalBench.com
• Detailed results from Cage Wars Championship "Nightmare"

Mark Wahlberg
Wahlberg at the 2011 Time 100 gala
Born	Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (1971-06-05) June 5, 1971 (age 41) Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Other names	Marky Mark Monk D
Occupation	Actor Producer Rapper (former)
Years active	1989–present
Spouse	Rhea Durham (m. 2009–present; 4 children)
Relatives	Donnie Wahlberg, Robert Wahlberg (brothers)

Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971) is an American actor, film and television producer, and former rapper. He was known as Marky Mark in his earlier years, and became famous for his 1989 debut as frontman with the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. He was named No. 1 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of the 90's. Wahlberg is well known for his roles in films such as Boogie Nights (1997), Three Kings (1999), The Perfect Storm (2000), Planet of the Apes (2001), Rock Star (2001), The Italian Job (2003), I Heart Huckabees (2004), Four Brothers (2005), The Departed (2006), Invincible (2006), Shooter (2007), and The Fighter (2010), Date Night (2010). He has also served as the executive producer of the TV series Entourage, Boardwalk Empire and How to Make It in America.

Early life[link]

Wahlberg was born in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, the youngest of nine children,^[1] with siblings Arthur, Jim, Paul, Robert, Tracey, Michelle, Debbie (died in 2003 at age 44), and Donnie. His father was of half Swedish and half Irish ancestry, and his mother is of Irish, English, and French Canadian descent.^[2] Maternally, Wahlberg is distantly related to author Nathaniel Hawthorne.^[3] Wahlberg's mother, Alma Elaine (née Donnelly), was a bank clerk and nurse's aide, and Wahlberg's father, Donald Edward Wahlberg, was a Teamster who worked as a delivery driver. His parents divorced in 1982.^[4] Wahlberg had a Roman Catholic^[5][6] upbringing and attended Copley Square High School (but never graduated) on Newbury Street in Boston.

Racist assaults and attempted murder charges[link]

Wahlberg claims to have been in trouble 20–25 times with the Boston Police Department as a youth. By the age of 13, Wahlberg had developed an addiction to cocaine and other substances.^[7][8] At 15, he harassed a group of black school children on a field trip by throwing rocks and shouting racial epithets.^[9] When he was 16, while high on PCP, Wahlberg approached a middle-aged Vietnamese man on the street and, using a large wooden stick, knocked him unconscious (while calling him "Vietnam fucking shit"). He also attacked another Vietnamese man, leaving him permanently blind in one eye, and attacked a security guard (using foul language).^[10][11]

For these crimes, Wahlberg was charged with attempted murder. He pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced to two years in jail at Boston's Deer Island House of Correction, of which he served 45 days.^[10][12] In another incident, the 21-year-old Wahlberg fractured the jaw of a neighbor in an unprovoked attack.^[13] "I did a lot of things that I regretted and I certainly paid for my mistakes," Wahlberg says. "You have to go and ask for forgiveness and it wasn't until I really started doing good and doing right, by other people as well as myself, that I really started to feel that guilt go away. So I don't have a problem going to sleep at night. I feel good when I wake up in the morning."^[14]

^[15]

Career[link]

Music[link]

Wahlberg first came to fame as the younger brother of Donnie Wahlberg of the successful 1980s and 1990s boy band New Kids on the Block. Mark, at age thirteen, had been one of the group's original members, along with Donnie, Danny Wood, Jordan Knight, and Jonathan Knight. However, he soon quit. It was his departure that eventually allowed Joe McIntyre to take his place as the fifth member of the group.

Wahlberg began recording as Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, earning a hit with "Good Vibrations" from the album Music for the People. The record was produced by brother Donnie and later hit No.1 on The Billboard Hot 100, later becoming certified as a Platinum single. The second single, "Wildside," peaked at No.5 on Billboards Hot Singles Sales chart and at No.10 on The Billboard Hot 100.^[16] It was certified as a Gold Single. Marky Mark opened for the New Kids on the Block during their last tour. The second Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch LP, You Gotta Believe, was not as successful as the prior, yielding only a minor hit single in the title track. Wahlberg later collaborated with the late reggae / ragga singer Prince Ital Joe on the album Life in the Streets. The project combined rap and ragga vocals with strong eurodance music (as in the singles Happy People, German No.1 hit United, Life in the Streets, and Babylon) courtesy of Frank Peterson and Alex Christensen as producers.

He was also featured in the Black Label Society music video for "Counterfeit God", as a stand-in for the band's bassist.^[17]

Advertising[link]

Wahlberg first displayed his physique in the Good Vibrations music video and most prominently in a series of underwear ads for Calvin Klein shot by Herb Ritts, following it with Calvin Klein television advertisements.^[18] Magazine and television promotions would sometimes feature Mark exclusively or accompanied by model Kate Moss. Annie Leibovitz also shot a famous session of Mark Wahlberg in underwear for Vanity Fair's annual Hall of Fame issue.^[19] He also made a workout video titled The Marky Mark Workout: Form... Focus... Fitness (ISBN 1-55510-910-1).

Film[link]

Wahlberg at the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011.

Wahlberg dropped the "Marky Mark" moniker and began an acting career, making his debut in the 1993 TV movie The Substitute. His big screen debut came the next year, with the Danny DeVito feature Renaissance Man. A basketball fanatic, he caught the attention of critics after appearing in The Basketball Diaries in 1995, playing the role of Mickey alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, in a film adaptation of the Jim Carroll book of the same name. He also starred in the 1996 James Foley thriller Fear.

He has earned many positive reviews after successful movies like Boogie Nights as Dirk Diggler, Three Kings, The Perfect Storm, The Italian Job, and Four Brothers. His performance in I ♥ Huckabees was voted best supporting performance of the year in the 2004 Village Voice Critics Poll. Wahlberg was originally cast as Linus Caldwell in Ocean's Eleven; Matt Damon played the role instead. The two later worked together in The Departed.^[20] Wahlberg was also considered for a role in the film Brokeback Mountain. It was originally intended to star him and Joaquin Phoenix, but Wahlberg was uncomfortable with the film's sex scenes and his role ultimately went to Jake Gyllenhaal.^[21]

Wahlberg starred in the American football drama, Invincible, based on the true story of bartender Vince Papale. He is also the executive producer of the HBO series Entourage which is loosely based on his experiences in Hollywood. He also appeared as a foul-mouthed Massachusetts State Police detective in Martin Scorsese's critically acclaimed thriller, The Departed in 2006, which netted him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, and an NSFC Best Supporting Actor award. Wahlberg has confirmed that he was approached to star in a sequel to The Departed, but it is still early in development. The sequel would reportedly revolve around the Staff Sergeant played by Wahlberg.^[22]

Wahlberg at the Shooter premiere in London, March 2007

Wahlberg at the premiere of Max Payne.

To prepare for his role in Shooter, Wahlberg attended long-range shooting training at Front Sight Firearms Training Institute near Pahrump, Nevada, and was able to hit a target at 1100 yards on his second day, a feat which usually takes weeks to achieve.^[23] He has said in a number of interviews that he will retire at the age of 40 to concentrate on parenthood^[24] and professional golf. However, in early 2007 he indicated that the latter was no longer the plan as "his golf game is horrible".^[25] He played Jack Salmon, a leading role in Peter Jackson's film of The Lovely Bones.^[26] In 2007, he starred opposite Joaquin Phoenix in We Own the Night, a movie about a family of police officers in New York City.

He starred in M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening as Eliot Moore, which premiered in movie theatres on June 13, 2008. The same year, he played the title role in Max Payne, based on a video game of the same name. While promoting Max Payne, Mark became involved in a playful feud with Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg and threatened to "crack that big fucking nose of his." Samberg had done an impression of Wahlberg in a Saturday Night Live skit titled "Mark Wahlberg Talks To Animals."^[27][28] However, Wahlberg later appeared in a follow-up skit parodying both the original skit, Samberg's impression of Wahlberg, and his own threats to Samberg.^[29][30]

Personal life[link]

Family and relationships[link]

In the early '90s, Wahlberg dated former child actress Soleil Moon Frye.^[31] Wahlberg and model Rhea Durham have been together since 2001 and were married on August 1, 2009 at the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills. The couple have four children, Ella Rae (born September 2, 2003), Michael Robert (born March 21, 2006), Brendan Joseph (born September 16, 2008) and Grace Margaret (born January 11, 2010). In a 2011 interview with USA Weekend, Wahlberg stated that he had taken his children to visit his old Dorchester neighborhood, saying "I want them to know that not everyone is as fortunate and how important it is to work hard and give back."^[32]

His father, a US Army veteran of the Korean War, died on February 14, 2008.^[33]

Religion[link]

Wahlberg is a committed Roman Catholic,^[34] who attends daily Mass, credits his faith and a priest from his childhood for helping him turn his life around, and recognizes the seriousness of his faith.^[6]

Charity work[link]

Actively involved in charity, Wahlberg established the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation in May 2001 for the purpose of raising and distributing funds to youth service and enrichment programs.^[35]

Wahlberg is also active with The Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Children. In an interview, Mark said that it's important to let the homeless know that people care about them and are working to help the impoverished get back on their feet.^[36]

Tattoos[link]

Wahlberg has four tattoos done by various artists including Paul Timman.^[37] The tattoos include Sylvester the cat with Tweety Bird in his mouth on his ankle, a design of his initials "MW" with his surname "Wahlberg" on his upper right arm, and a Bob Marley tattoo with "One Love" on his upper left arm.^[38] The final tattoo, which Wahlberg holds as his most meaningful, is the rosary tattooed around his neck, with a crucifix and the words "In God I Trust" resting over his heart.^[38] On January 9, 2012 Wahlberg was a guest on The Late Show With David Letterman. He spoke about his tattoos and stated he is in the process of having them removed. Initially he was told it would take 8-10 laser treatments however he required over 30 treatments and is still in the process of getting them removed. He cited his career and children as the reason for the removal of the tattoos. His first tattoo was as a young teenager and it was of a shamrock. Because it was not professionally done, he said the shamrock was not straight and had the Tweety Bird tattoo placed over it after arriving in Los Angeles.

Discography[link]

Filmography[link]

References[link]